Itinerary, Part I, Città e Campagna, Touring the Finest Destinations in Northern Italy's Cities and the Tuscan Countryside, Città d'Arte

ITINERARY

Wednesday, June 1, 2005 Milan Airport - Lake Garda

Arrival at Milan Malpensa Airport.
Transfer by private coach from Milan Malpensa Airport to Lake Garda (90 mins.)
Check in at hotel in Lake Garda. Located in the center of Centro Storico, guests can walk to a myriad of shops, cafes and eateries of all types.
Welcome dinner with John Nocita, ICI president prepared by master chefs from the Italian Institute for Advanced Culinary and Pastry Arts.
Special guests include a sommeliers and an historian from the Lombardy region of Italy.
Overnight at the hotel in Lake Garda.

During the Roman Empire, Lombardia was the Northern fortress for the defense of the Eternal City. For most of the next two thousand years it was controlled by virtually every empire in Europe from Charlemagne to the Hapsburgs to Napoleon Bonaparte. Its rich history has brought the region constant prosperity throughout the ages and this continues. Lombardia is the financial capitol of Italy and a treasure trove of fine art and history with Milan, the fashion capitol and home to the most famous opera house in the world, Cremona, home to a Stradivarius violin, and the same world renown mark for every other city and town in the region.

During its history, Lake Garda has been the place where kings and queens rested after conquests. It's climate is the most temperate of all the region and so its land the most fertile. Today the region remains a dynamically popular resort and a playground for the rich and famous year round.

Lake activities include boating, fishing, water-skiing, para-sailing and more. Shopping is a "sogno italiano". Each piazza is adorned with a medieval castle complete with drawbridges and moats. Restaurants, cafes, trattorias, pizzerias and gelaterias of all levels abound in and around the area. With a continuous flow of trans-European tourism, the towns along the lake are rich in nightlife and offer visitors a wide selection of entertainment option.

Food & Wine
As in the rest of Italy, great food here is no exception. Famous both for its fresh lake fish and hearty mountain cuisine, every dish is accompanied by Garda extra virgin olive oil with its creamy, buttery texture and sweet taste thanks to luscious ripe fruit from the area. Franciacorta, the wine growing area surrounding the province, is Italy's most famous for wines made in the 'champagnoise' method.

Verona's history dates back to ancient times when the Indo-European population settled there. Surrounded by fertile peaks and valleys, the natural resources of the area made it an ideal location for a new city, the nucleus of which was built atop the hill where San Pietro castle now stands.

Verona's first significant contact with ancient Rome was in 216 BC, when the city allied itself with the Romans at the Battle of Canne. Thanks to its magnificent monuments, by 49 BC Verona became known as Piccola Roma (Little Rome).

During Medieval times bitter fighting for dominance ended in 1277 with the Scaligeri family taking control and maintaining rule for the next 110 years. Countless magnificent buildings were erected and in these dark ages the city offered a culturally, strong patronage of the arts. Thus a host of epic master painters and poets thrived including Giotto, Altichiero, Dante Alighieri and Petrarch. It was in this period that the tragic lovers Romeo and Juliet were said to have lived, immortalized in the work of William Shakespeare.

Throughout the Renaissance, Verona was a part of the Republic of Venice and its splendor continued to grow with the period's art, culture and society. The nobility and new middle class of wealthy merchants enriched the city and its populace, constructing sumptuous gardens, ornate palaces, grand houses and magnificent churches that transformed the city into the romantic utopia it still is today.

The Etruscans, Romans, French, Austrians and other great powers that have ruled Verona during its long history have all left their mark on the city and today evidence of their presence and influence can be seen in the architecture, art, cuisine and attitude of the community.

'Lo stadio', the amphitheater in Verona, is the second largest Roman amphitheater in the world and the oldest, even older than the coliseum in Rome. What makes this one special, however, is that in spite of age, weather, and earthquakes it remains largely intact. The inner ring stands as sturdy today as it did two thousand years ago. Back then the main events were bloody gladiator battles, bullfights, and the killing of Christians. Befitting the city that is the home to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" the amphitheater is now a center of dramatic performance. With a capacity of 20,000 this venue could hold almost the entire population of Verona when it was built. Today crowds gather for operas, concerts, and plays. The acoustics are so good that microphones are never used. In the winter The Arena keeps its artistic face on by supporting a giant star sculpture. It symbolizes Christmas and the star that led the Three Wise Men to seek the savior.

Food & Wine
'Bolito Misto', 'pandoro', 'torrone', 'risotto' and much more are traditional culinary treasures from Verona. Located in a land with a history famous for hunting combined with the influence of centuries of occupation from the French, Austrians and, of course, Italians, the cuisine that evolved is rich in variety, flavor and texture. Capitalizing on its availability of fertile land and its proximity to the town of Valpolicella, famous for red wine, this area of the Veneto region is now producing many of the best varietals in Italy.

Founded in the 5th century, Venice is spread over 118 small islands and connected by hundreds of bridges. The whole city is an extraordinary architectural masterpiece and is one of Italy's "Cities of Art" as even the smallest building contains works by some of the world's greatest masters such as Giorgione, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and many, many others.

Priceless art at every corner is just the beginning of Venice's historical treasures. With every turn one is taken back by stunning beauty and important edifices that have played a leading role in civilization.

The Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark's) is the most famous building in Venice. Built to honor the apostle, Mark, the walls and ceilings are adorned with great art and more than 43,000 feet of gold mosaics. The Pala d'oro has 250 gold paintings and is covered with precious gems including 1,300 pearls, 400 garnets, 90 rubies, 300 emeralds, 90 amethysts, and 300 sapphires. Saint Mark's body, which was lost after a fire in 976, miraculously reappeared a century later and is stored in an alcove. The Basilica's roof glimmers with ornate statues of bronze and gold.

Santa Maria dell'Assunta, built in 639, is the oldest building in all of Venice. This church has medieval mosaics of the Madonna and the Last Judgment and the relics of Saint Heliodrorus. Attached is Santa Fosca a church built in a Byzantine design. Near the churches you will find a throne used by Atilla the Hun. The sights to see are endless...

Food & Wine
The Veneto region is the largest fishing area in all of Italy, a big deal for a peninsula that protrudes into the most fertile waters in the world. Thanks to the influence of conquerors over the millenniums, its cuisine is rich in Eurofusion creating a symphony of decisive flavors and colors. Veneto is one of just three regions in Italy where risotto is a traditional dish and is the only one that specializes in seafood risotto. In addition to its many internationally known wines such as Soave and super reds including Amarone, Veneto is a major producer of excellent Grappa.

Parma is a city, and province, in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. Founded by the consul Marcus Emilius Lepidus in 183 BC, it became a rich commune in the Middle Ages and over the centuries was ruled by the Viscontis, the Sforzas, the French, the Vatican and was finally made a duchy by Pope Paul III in 1545 and given to the Farnese family who reigned for almost two hundred years. When the town was inherited by the Bourbons they gave its court and social life a typically French flavor. After the Napoleonic rule it was decided at the Congress of Vienna that Parma should go to Napoleon's wife, Marie Louise, Maria Luigia in Italian, daughter of Emperor Francis I of Austria. When she died in 1847, the duchy returned to the Bourbons until 1860 when it became part of the Italian Kingdom.

That's a great deal of history and the architecture and art of Parma reflects both its two thousand year history and the masters who developed it including the Antelami, Correggio, Parigianino, Bodoni, Verdi and Toscanini and more.

Food & Wine
Parma's contribution to gastronomy reads much like its art. Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano cheese are just two products renown internationally. There are many others. Dishes include many of the pillars in 'Italian' cuisine such as lasagna and macaroni to name a few.

In 2003, Parma and Helsinki, Finland competed against each other for the European Union's city for Food Safety and Authenticity, the agency that certifies authentic European foods such as wines, cheese and prosciutto Parma won the right to host the prestigious agency, but not before Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi waged a bitter battle with the competition. A gleeful Berlusconi famously snubbed the Helsinki bid at an EU summit telling reporters: "Parma is synonymous with great cuisine. The Finns don't even know what prosciutto is."